Thursday, April 10, 2014

The Tale of a Lion



The vultures circling overhead were our first indication that something was amiss. We'd been down this same trail the previous afternoon and everything had been normal but now, it was obvious that something had not made it through the dark African night. As we drove closer we could see a bloody corpse under a thorn bush. It was a large male blesbok and most of the hind quarters had been consumed. Our professional hunter, Gielie and tracker Jefferi carefully surveyed the scene, like two CSI detectives looking for clues. Finally, Gielie looked up and said, "Lion kill."

We were half way through a 14-day South African safari with AAA Serapa Safaris and had taken some great plains game trophies already including black wildebees, Burchell's zebra, red lechwe, sable, blesbok, steenbok and impala but so far lion had eluded us....well kind of. We'd seen plenty of tracks from male lions and one huge male the previous day but it was lioness that was on Vanessa's list. AAA Serapa Safaris is a true oasis in the remote South African savannah that offers hunting for over 30 species of plains game and four of the big five African animals can be found on the massive 46,000 acre property but it is their incredible lion hunting that they a world renown for. While they offer some of the best maned lions in Africa, they offer the more affordable option of hunting female lions as well. All of the lion hunts are tracking hunts on foot and shots typically come at very close range. Lion or lioness, it is the true dangerous game experience.
 
"Looks like a couple young males and maybe a female," Gielie said to no one in particular. "Let's drive around a bit and see if we can sort the tracks out."

An hour later we located two tracks and Gielie felt that it was a young male and a female traveling together. "Are you ready?" A broad smile enveloped his face as he looked Vanessa squarely in the eye.

Vanessa reached for the .375 H&H and climbed down off the truck. Gielie figured the tracks had been made some time during the night but he felt that following them was worth a try. He carefully explained the plan to Vanessa and went over shot placement in detail for a variety of scenarios and then placed his huge hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner. Vanessa dialed the scope down to its lowest power, chambered a round and slid the safety rearward. She took a position behind Gielie and Jefferi. The hunt was on.

For the next several hours the track led us through the thick cover. At times it was simple to follow and at others it took the skill of both Gielie and Jefferie to unravel. While I've had the pleasure to see some masterful trackers at work, they paled in comparison to the skill these two men possessed. Occasionally, they would lose the track in the hard ground but after a few minutes of circling, Gielie would whistle for us to join him. He wanted Vanessa close behind. If we encountered the lioness, it would likely be close and the possibility of a charge was real. While I was just the cameraman on the hunt, my heart was racing rapidly and every sense in my body was at the highest alert. While every Capstick cliche about hunting lions in the long grass raced through my head, I kept reminding myself that this was the real deal. We were hunting an animal that would just as soon see us dead as alive and it was well enough armed to accomplish that in the blink of an eye.

Gielie motioned Vanessa over. "They lied down here," he said in a hushed tone.

In the sand, even I could see the unmistakeable imprint of the lion's hip and her long tail. There was only one track now and even though no one said it, we all knew we were close. As I rounded a thorn bush, I saw Gielie motion to Vanessa to come to him. He was extending the legs on the shooting sticks. I searched frantically to find the lion and then there she was, bedded deep in the shadows, only 20 yards away. Her yellow eyes showed disdain and seemed to stare right into the depths of my soul. Her tail twitched and she emitted a low guttural growl just to further emphasize her disapproval at our presence. Vanessa had the rifle trained on her but there was no shot. The lion was lying with her butt to us. Gielie whistled. The lion growled.

The stand off lasted for several minutes. Vanessa's eye never left the scope and the lioness' icy stare remained locked on us. Suddenly, she rose and walked out the back of the bush she'd been lying in. Gielie grabbed the shooting sticks and urged Vanessa to follow. The lioness was now out of sight and we held our breath at each step. We knew she was close. But how close? Then, movement about 40 yards distant caught our eye. The lioness was standing in the open. "Shoot her in the shoulder," Gielie commanded.

The lioness lurched forward at the report of the shot and then disappeared from the small window of view that we had. Everyone was momentarily silent. The shot had looked good....excellent in fact but the prospect of following up the lion now faced us. There was a good chance she'd be lying in wait, ready to pounce. Hopefully we'd see her before she had that opportunity.

We moved slowly but deliberately. Vanessa was right at Gielie's side, rifle at the ready. While Gielie carried his rifle too, he had made it clear to Vanessa earlier that he would only shoot if someone's life was in imminent danger. This was Vanessa's hunt to finish. Suddenly, a bush off to our left moved and the tawny form of the lion revealed itself in the shadows. She was rising to her feet and readying for the charge. Gielie grabbed Vanessa's arm and pulled her to the right. She brought the 375 to her shoulder. While a tired cliche, time did seem to stand still at that moment. The lioness dropped her haunches in preparation to charge. We paced the distance off later....it was exactly eight yards. One bound and the lioness would be on top of us. She let out another low, guttural growl. Her face was covered in blood from feasting on the blesbok we'd found earlier. The report of the .375 started time in motion again. The 250-grain bullet struck the lioness perfectly in the heart and while her mind urged her forward, her body betrayed her wishes and she slumped to the ground. I took my first breath it what seemed like several minutes. Vanessa had fulfilled her dream of tracking and taking a lion on foot.


AAA Serapa Safaris is a true dichotomy. On one side you have the very traditional style hunting that involves tracking animals on foot with the most skilled professional hunters and trackers in all of Africa. The property is massive at 46,000 acres, the list of available species long, the trophy quality exceptional and the hunting very challenging. On the other hand you have a five-star lodge in the middle of the dry South African savannah. Owners Apie and Yolande Reynikie built this lodge with couples and families in mind. Hunters are housed in individual chalets that feature full bathrooms with soaker tubs that overlook the waterhole where a variety of animals are regular visitors. The main lodge features sun deck, swimming pool, library, billiards room, spa and a menu and wine selection to match. For the non hunters a variety of activities including horseback riding and wildlife photography are available.

We hunted equally hard for the final seven days of our trip, although none of the hunts were quite as tense as that of lion. I managed to take a great old eland bull after two long days of tracking as well as a very nice nyala and waterbuck. Both of these animals really allowed Gielie and Jefferi demonstrate their tracking skills. We spotted both animals as they were running off and in both instances, they were able to unravel the myriad of tracks and follow the individual animals for several hours before we were able to get in position for a shot. It truly was the most remarkable tracking I'd ever seen and it really added to the experience of an already incredible hunt.

Vanessa rounded out the hunt with a great springbok. While springbok were very plentiful, stalking them on foot and getting into range for a shot off sticks was another matter totally. But, after several blown stalks, Vanessa managed to put one down with her 30-06.

Our hunt with AAA Serapa Safaris was truly the hunt of a lifetime and is definitely a destination we will return to.

Check them out at:
www.lionhuntingsafaris.com
info@lionhuntingsafaris.com
or contact their Canadian representatives, Mark and Cindy Zimmermann directly at mczimmermann@hotmail.ca

Rifles
Rocky Mountain Rifle 375 H&H, 250-grain Hornady GMX handloads, Zeiss 1.2-5x36 Duralyte scope
Tikka T3 semi custom (Rocky Mountain Rifles), Hornady Superformance 165-grain GMX, Zeiss 2-10x42 HD5 with Rapid Z 600 reticle




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